she wonders if we feel more regret for the things we do or for the things we didn't do

Marriage is like a well-built porch. If one of the two posts leans too much, the porch collapses. So each must be strong enough to stand on its own.

...wanting things for the wrong reasons can turn anyone's life into a marshmallow on a stick over a hot fire: impossibly messy and eventually consumed, one way or another.

Darkness does this. It finds all the places you are hiding in. It finds all the things you are holding onto tightly and makes you let go.

It’s a simple truth that a secret is something you’re ashamed of.

I know parental embarrassment usually stops somewhere at fifteen, but he just kept on giving me good reasons.

It occurred to me then that a lot of life was either about wanting and not having, or having and not wanting.